Elder Wride in California: Week 17

Shalom Mi Amigos

We have entered 2022 which is my blackout year. For those if you who don't know what that means, 2022 is the year where I'm a Missionary for the whole year. Kinda crazy

1. New Baby Sister

2. Hospital Secret Codes

3. New Years Eve

4. Church - Johannas and Tima

1. So there is News! My Mom is expecting again! And it's a girl! Child Number 13! My Mom told me back in November, but we couldn't say anything because my siblings and extended family didn't know, but now it's out! It's exciting. Kind of sad I won't be there when she's born, but it's ok

2. This week we visited our friend Isaiah again. I talked about him a couple weeks ago, he has some mental health issues. He was in tbe hospital and it was an experience. When we went into that section of the hospital we were in this common area where there were other patients chilling. We talked to Isaiah for a while and here's the picture. So Elder Hayes and I are at a table and Isaiah is sitting with us. He's talking about how he's God and is fighting demons and put a Book called "Conversations with God" I think, on his head to shield himself from the demons. There's also 3 other people in the room. One guy us sitting on the opposite end of the table writing secret codes for us and names and addresses of people to contact to break him out of the Hospital. There's also another guy sitting away from the table smiling and chuckling at us? And a lady on a couch sleeping in a blanket. It was honestly really sad and we're not sure how to help him. We were there just to love him and talk to him. His family is inactive but working on coming back to church and all that good stuff. He's like 19 years old I think. Also, the guy that gave us secret codes, I'll include a picture if anyone can help me translate them, I'm not sure what to do with it.

3. Didn't realize New Years was coming up. It was funny when we were trying to set up lessons the first guy was like "Uhhh you want to meet Friday? That's New Years Eve". And we were like "Oh yeah". We still had a lesson with them but it was funny because we didn't even realize what day it was. But New Years was also pretty normal day. It was funny because for one of our visits we went to this complex. And everyone in the complex was out and had their little grills on just outside. There was also this kid lighting fireworks like really close to us in the middle of this crammed neighborhood thing. It was loud. He was doing it for attention and because it was funny because everytime he lit a firework, one of the ladies grilling yells "You ****ing IdIoT!". And all the dogs in every house start barking and everything. It was so funny. Also, I don't know what what stuff is called that falls from firework explosions but that also was falling on us. But we were unharmed.

4. Our goals for church attendance this week was to have 12 people to church. Normally we get like 2, but this week we got 7! What was kinda bad, was that we invited a bunch of people, and a lot of them we have never met before. So it was hard to see who came or not, because we also don't know all of our members. Anyway, we got there at 9 am for Ward Council. (Our church starts at 10:30). And that's when we met Johanas! We had only talked to him over the phone and he really wanted to come to church. He also invited his girlfriend Tima. She is in a scooter and has some sort of disability that also makes it hard for her to talk. But they are so sweet. During Fast and Testimony meeting I explained that anyone could go up and bear their testimony and he wanted to! He was very nervous and reciting what he wanted to say and then he bolted up there. He said something about how he's been with the Lord for one year and he's been with his girlfriend for one year and that's pretty much all I can remember. He pointed her out which was funny but she didn't like it. So, after his words, she decided she wanted to speak. But, she can't talk very well so she typed something up. And for Johanas it's hard for him to read. You should've seen him when we were singing Hymns, he just shoved his face right into the hymn book like an inch away to read the words. Anyway, so it was up to me to read it for her. I wasn't planning on bearing testimony, but it was sort of like the Lord was like "You thought you could get away with it". So, I walked up there with her tablet. Her testimony was pretty short, something along the lines of "Many of my family members tested positive and died because of covid. I pray that Jesus takes care of them". Not word for word, but that was the just of it. So, then I bore testimony. To lead off of that I fumbled a little bit about the importance of families, and then went back down. After that, I realized how trunky i probably sounded talking about my family up there, and now the whole ward will think I want to go home. Oh well. I'm not trunky. Sure, I love my family and home, but I don't feel any urgency to get there because I'm working over here. But I do really love my family. The sweetest thing for me is when someone we're teaching, or meeting with prays for them. Warms my heart. But anyway, that was fun. The rest of church it kinda felt like we were babysitting them. They were both hungry and we didn't have any food, but we found some mixed vegetables in the freezer. Heated it up and they ate it. That was for all of second hour. Also, the bus they rode to get here for her wheel chair wasn't coming until 3. It was 12:30 and we had to go. So we talked to our Bishop who is a stud and said he would be here for the next little while. We left and came back at 2:40ish and hung out with them until the bus came. So yeah, that was fun.

Anyway, hope you all are doing swell and having good times.

- Elder Wride

1. Street Contacting